Tag: weebly comments

It’s 2017 and by now everyone who is anyone knows that user-generated content is important. If you have a blog, a website or an online store, you are probably pretty focused on getting good reviews, replying to customer feedback and making sure you engage with your customers (and if you aren’t then its time you start!). But while UGC is a clear backbone to any modern day business it is also a tool that continues to change and evolve alongside the digital landscape. So what’s next for UGC?

Time to own UGC?

Today the majority of UGC is owned by social media networks. This means while brands are winning short term with hashtag campaigns or viral content, the social media networks like SnapChat and Twitter are the real winners. The future is likely to change this and delves deeper into UGC – meaning companies will spend more time and resources capturing metadata and leveraging UGC beyond individual short terms campaigns and into the realms of long-term meaningful customer relationships.

If UGC is a huge trend already, it looks set to grow even bigger and hasn’t even come close to its peak. We can be sure that brands will continue to invest efforts in encouraging, nurturing and fostering the right kind of UGC (because unlike other marketing channels you can’t completely control it unless you fake it and that basically destroys its nature). UGC is an organic concept that needs to be grown in the right ways and in the right environment. But once you succeed in growing it, how do you harvest what you have? In order for brands to really harness the amount of UGC they need to stand out, it looks likely that aggregation apps and platforms will gain popularity. Collecting the right UGC is an extremely powerful marketing tool.

UGC moves to other mediums

For a long time UGC has been almost exclusively focused on text. Though it has branched out into the worlds of video and images, there is still a long way to go. The future looks set to take UGC into totally new territory like VR. So how can UGC go together with virtual reality? Well, the future will be increasingly about a co-experiential approach where UGC and interactions are encouraged, shared across and leveraged through different mediums. As content moves over to VR and AR so do user interactions (or at least some of them).

But if VR-based UGC still seems a long way off there are more approachable technologies that are already available to give your business the kick it needs. UGC can be the most mundane thing in the world, but it can also be your biggest asset. Moving away from text to new technologies like voice tech can help to increase user engagement and create an environment of interactions that is more personal, more meaningful and easier to access than simply sitting and typing out a really long comment or message.

Heyoya is a game-changing comments and reviews platform that brings voice to e-publishers and e-stores, improving sales and user engagement by allowing readers to express themselves beyond the medium of text. Heyoya’s new Receiver plan allows for quick and easy below-the-fold monetization. Heyoya is a game changer for websites and is proven to increase brand affinity and the quality of user-generated content.

Analytics have always been a crucial channel for understanding customer behavior and learning to do things better. But new trends show an increased focus on real-time high-level analytics. So what does this mean? Basically mapping and understanding different customer actions and profiles on a micro as well as the macro level is becoming more important. It’s not enough just to have data, the data needs to happen now and in a way that can be easily transformed into actionable items to constantly improve customers’ UX of your e-commerce store. There needs to be data on every conversion point and a way of following each and every path a customer can take.

A move towards Asia

For a long time, the focus has been on the US. It is a huge, growing and central market to e-commerce. However, that doesn’t mean it will be the place to focus energies forever. Right now the US market is still growing, however, it is reaching a saturation point, which means we are likely to see a plateau in the market soon. So what’s next for e-commerce? Well, the Asian market is beginning to boom, and in particular, China. So what does that mean for e-commerce store owners? Well, now is a good time to go global and begin targeting the Asian market (or at least begin thinking about it). Of course, this isn’t a strategy that will work for everyone since a plateauing US market doesn’t mean a bad market. Everything depends on your business and your customers. And while there is no need for physical infrastructure when it comes to expanding operations, there are a variety of other challenges (cultural, languages and more).

The worlds of social media and commerce are intersecting. With places like Facebook Marketplace, buying online doesn’t even mean logging out of social media or browsing specific websites or apps. But this trend means more than just marketplaces on social media; it is a move towards e-commerce marketplaces or stores inside of nested social media sites. The good news is that this trend makes it even easier to leverage social media brand ambassadors and user-generated content.

Online reviews move to other mediums

For a long time online reviews have been crucial to not only promoting online businesses, but to gaining the basic trust needed to bring customers to a store and complete a purchase. While they are gaining volume, popularity and trust, the medium of reviews is only now beginning to widen. At the beginning reviews were all about text, but today you can move online comments to much more personal and interactive mediums like video, gifs and even voice to keep customers engaged and shopping for longer.

Heyoya is a game-changing comments and reviews platform that brings voice to e-publishers and e-stores, improving sales and user engagement by allowing readers to express themselves beyond the medium of text. Heyoya’s new Receiver plan allows for quick and easy below-the-fold monetization. Heyoya is a game changer for websites and is proven to increase brand affinity and the quality of user-generated content.

Digital advertising is everywhere and in a million different channels. If you are online at any given time, chances are you are basically being bombarded by advertising banners, ads, retargeting email campaigns, clickbait, sponsored social media posts and more. There is so much advertising “noise” out there that most people ignore or at least block a lot of it out. Most of it ends up taking on a status of background noise, but there are always posts that stand out from the crowd and make an impact. To make sure you keep making an impact with your advertising, find out what the future of advertising has in store and how to change things to make them more relevant and impactful.

Ok, it might not send like the best way to launch a list of futuristic online ad trends, but its true: online ads are annoying people more than ever. Our brains can’t always filter them out so more and more people are turning to online ad blockers and pop-up stoppers. The worst culprit here are preroll ad, the auto-play is perceived as both annoying and intrusive. But don’t worry – it’s not all bad news. While generic ads are annoying, the future of advertising is all about pinpoint targeting. The trick is honing into your target market, learning as much about them as possible and targeting them with non-intrusive native ads. Context is also incredibly important – if they are looking at one specific brand continuously but are telling all their friends how they hate the brand’s new product, advertising that product might not be the way to go. The best ads need to tap into all of a users data – who they are, what they like and what they say.

The future is interactive

The days of static ads are coming to an end, and interactive content is gaining traction. The future of ads is all about maximizing user-experience and curating something that is both immersive and interactive. People are bored of banner ads. So what will grab their attention? Well, simple things can work wonders. Instead of a form asking for your users’ name and email, try a gamified quiz. If your brand is all about health food then use infographics to encourage your users to engage. Converting a user doesn’t have to be a boring experience.

Heyoya is a game-changing comments and reviews platform that brings voice to e-publishers and e-stores, improving sales and user engagement by allowing readers to express themselves beyond the medium of text. Heyoya’s new Receiver plan allows for quick and easy below-the-fold monetization through native advertising. Heyoya is a game changer for websites and is proven to increase brand affinity and the quality of user-generated content.

We are moving away from the era of brash-in-your-face tech with users brandishing enormous touchscreen phones and large touchscreen watches to something altogether subtler. The future will be all about seamless tech that blends into users lives and styles. Think fashion tech rather than bulky functional tech. This is already beginning with wearables and tracking devices like the ever thinner and sleeker Fitbits on the market. Devices are becoming more like part of an overall style and fashion accessory than the obtrusive add-ons of yesteryear.

Source: https://pixabay.com/en/photos/voice/

The year of voice tech

In many ways, 2017 has been heralded as the year of voice tech where many tech giants have shifted (or are shifting) their UI away from visual and tactile interfaces to audio ones. And just think about the benefits – audio means you can go hands-free. You can use your tech on the go, while walking, driving, multitasking. You never need to pause and stare down at a screen. The future will undoubtedly bring us a higher volume of more complex applications for voice tech as well as other hands-free interactions – think gesture technology and more. Touchscreens may never completely disappear but other interactions will become increasingly important.

Augmented sound

While augmented reality is a known quantity, the surge of what are sometimes termed “hearables” like Apple’s wireless headphones, are curating an experience that is essentially augmented sound. Without worrying about connectivity or proximity to our phones or device, the future looks likely to deliver augmented sound experiences, where we can overlay sound on our daily lives much the same way SnapChat overlays flower filters on ordinary photographs. Digital noise can be the key to creating new and fascinating soundscapes to enrich our daily lives.

Everything goes digital

We might be used to wearables and an overall concept of smart homes and the IoT, but the future looks likely to make everything digital. You might already control your air conditioning through voice but think about controlling your coffee maker the same way, ordering shopping through your voice-controlled fridge or having an army of voice controlled robots clean your house without leaving a trace.

Voice comments

While many technologies still have a long way to come, there are some emerging voice technologies that are already here, strong and ready to be leveraged. If we turn to one of the most well-known places on the Internet – the comments section (of any article, website, or social media conversation) we see an old fashioned text-based interaction. The future is about voice tech – and voice comments allow users to go hands-free while also sharing a more human and personal interaction.

Heyoya is a game-changing comments and reviews platform that brings voice to e-publishers and e-stores, improving sales and user engagement by allowing readers to express themselves beyond the medium of text. Heyoya’s new Receiver plan allows for quick and easy below-the-fold monetization. Heyoya is a game changer for websites and is proven to increase brand affinity and the quality of user-generated content.

More than three-quarters of Germans use the Internet in some way during their day. Research has shown that 75% of them are signed up to at least one social media network and use it for around one-quarter of their online time. Future growth is set to continue with a solid uptake from the younger generation, with 90% of 14-year-olds to 29-year-olds registered on at least one social media platform. The most popular networks are listed below according to the number of users.

Facebook

Google+

Xing

Wer-kennt-wen

LinkedIn

MySpace

Source: https://pixabay.com/en/photos/representation/

Why is Germany a laggard?

Germany is a laggard in social media compared to neighboring European countries. Compared to the UK’s 89%, Germany falls behind in social media usage. Germany ranks below the European average, with just 42% of its population regularly using social networks. The low social media usage is linked to Germany’s large aging population. The younger generation tends to be the ones that drive social media usage. Germany’s Statistisches Bundesamt reported that the number of residents aged 60 and older has risen consistently since 1950, and the number under age 20 has steadily declined.

In Germany, it is uncommon to speak to or add people one has just met via social media. The German culture does not promote the friendly social media attitude that some neighboring European countries have. In order to gain a like from a German, you really need to tailor your content so that it speaks to that particular demographic.

Another reason Germany may fall behind their European countries in Facebook usage is because Germans tend to use fake names. Although Facebook insists that users list their real names, many Germans still abbreviate or use fake names due to privacy concerns. This fixation with privacy often makes it difficult to trace and connect with people.

How to engage the German market

The German market is undeniably a tough market to tap into, however; it is a growing market with huge potential. Although the reasons above make it sound like it is difficult to advertise on social media, there are various innovative ways to do so. Tailor-made, carefully curated and highly personalized content is the way to transform an online experience into a strategy for success.

Moving from writing to voice

While there is a great deal of written communication in online media in Germany, one way to create content that stands out and has a personal touch is to turn to other mediums such as voice. Heyoya offers an innovative way to create a tailor-made online experience for users. Heyoya is a voice comments and reviews platform that helps to increase user-engagement and unique user-generated content through voice.

So how does it work?

It’s actually pretty simple: when surfing the web, users can respond to your articles, events and more by recording a voice comment or review through the Heyoya widget. You can also use Heyoya to upload your own voice content to your website. This is a great way to leave messages for your users, talk to them and hear what they have to say! Ultimately, by using the Heyoya widget, you can better leverage your comments sections to increase user engagement and create higher quality content, keeping users on your site for longer.

Heyoya is a game-changing comments and reviews platform that brings voice to e-publishers and e-stores. Heyoya’s new Receiver plan allows for quick and easy below-the-fold monetization.For more information about Heyoya, or to start using Heyoya’s Receiver plan and start earning money today, click here.

Social media is one of the fastest changing industries out there. Social Media will keep on surprising us as it keeps on taking a larger part in our lives and our work. Sometimes a cutting-edge technology changes the social game, or an old idea (e.g. virtual reality) gains viral popularly. Either way, the results always have a huge impact and 2017 will be no different. Here are four social media trends that will dominate 2017 but let us first explain why social media is such a game changer.

Consumers often take to social media to publicly discuss their buying process. According to LeadSift, this is one of the biggest, yet frequently overlooked opportunities on social media, as businesses can make more intelligent decisions with this information while also presenting the perfect time to engage.

Virtual reality (VR) is new to the market however immensely popular due to the interactive and present like experience it offers. In fact, Snapchat selfie lenses brought the idea of augmented reality into the social sphere. VR is a trend that will most likely continue to pick up momentum. Facebook owns Oculus Rift and will make a steady push for VR use on their platform (anything to get VR into their live stream). In addition, Facebook recently acquired Masquerade, a live filter and selfie app for live streaming video.

Just like the live video, augmented reality creates new opportunities for brands to connect with their audience by sharing experiences, rather than just information, on social media. It is noted that almost 75% of millennials are interested in virtual reality, and 2017 may just be the year they blow up the idea of self-insertion into media.

LIVE VIDEO AMPLIFICATION

The landscape of live video is likely to continue to shift towards an emphasis on live video content. Facebook will allow for paid amplification of a live video while it’s happening whilst LinkedIn will most likely introduce some sort of play to include Skype within their platform (eg: video interviews or live video sessions)

Live video amplification is a trend that ‘Snapchaters’ and ‘Instagramers’ are accustomed to. At the end of last year, Instagram encroached onto Snapchat territory by introducing live feed. It is predicted that Instagram will most probably continue to enhance and introduce new features to boost the live streamlining whilst Snapchat will probably come out with a revolutionary feature.

CHATBOT INFLUX

Chatbots are simply a form of artificial intelligence used to help and assist consumers with shopping, booking and customer service. The benefits of using artificially intelligent chats are aimed at improving customer service by responding quickly to questions and comments. Facebook integrated chatbots within Facebook Messenger and further, businesses are now using them to communicate with customers.

Chatbots are increasingly important, allowing brands to optimize their customer service experience. More than a third of people already prefer social media to a phone call for customer support. Soon, it is predicted that brands might not bother having a website at all, and rather conduct all their customer relations through social media.

INTERACTIVE CONTENT WINS

Interactive content (videos and blog posts) is predicted to become more widespread. Buzzfeed typically uses interactive content through quizzes and tests. It is noted that when readers have a direct impact on the content, they are more engaged, thus increasing one’s brand recall.

Interactive content allows brands to connect with consumers in an engaging and interactive way. Interactive content is vital for growth and engagement as brands not only want consumers to recall, they want them to be excited and share the content with their friends. As seen with Buzzfeed, consumers compared results with friends, furthering the engagement levels. Interactive content simply allows for a single piece of content to integrate social elements into it.

Heyoya is a game-changing comments and reviews platform that brings voice to e-publishers and e-stores, improving sales and user engagement by allowing readers to express themselves beyond the medium of text. Heyoya’s new Receiver plan allows for quick and easy below-the-fold monetization. Heyoya is a game changer for websites and is proven to increase brand affinity and the quality of user-generated content.

With over 600 million users, WeChat is the most popular messaging app in China. Voice messaging is extremely popular in China, so popular that over 84% of WeChat users use it for voice messaging. And while in most other countries text remains ahead of voice, in China, a voice is the clear market leader.

There are several added values to sending a voice message over text. It’s more personal, more authentic, you can flirt more easily or express how annoyed or bored or tired you are. There are no autocorrect embarrassments since you can delete the recording if you aren’t happy with it, and you can play the messages over and over again. Voice also allows for a clearer understanding of messages thanks to the intonations we use naturally while speaking and ultimately allows for better quality conversations. And finally, voice messages allow you to go hands-free and even help you save time.

Voice takes over China

So, what makes voice work so well in China? Most Chinese people would probably say it’s because the language is much harder to type than speak and therefore simply takes longer to type than record a message. In China, rather than typing words users are most likely to type the letters that approximate the sound of the correct ideogram. WeChat (or whatever app is being used) will then offer a list of ideograms that pop up. Once that happens, the user needs to choose the correct one to describe what they want to say most accurately, both in meaning and in pronunciation. Though faster than hand writing, this is clearly still very time-consuming.

Another reason voice works so well is down to Chinese culture. The Chinese often describe their culture as “renao” or what foreigners would refer to as “loud and lively”, and this makes it acceptable to be enthusiastic about being loud in public, making voice messages a culturally acceptable and convenient way to communicate. And just like there are informal rules for texting, the same goes for voice messages with known do’s and don’ts, which are influenced by factors such as if the user has an educational background or not. For example, a well-educated or middle-class individual will send voice messages only if the information is too complicated to write or explain via text. If it’s simple enough, they’ll prefer to type it. And voice messages are not suitable to send to everyone; they are a personal and emotional medium and because of this, some people think they should only be used with close friends and loved ones.

Voice today

In an increasingly networked world where smartphones rule the world and social connections are a necessity, it makes sense to rely on voice tools. They can help people communicate from across the globe while still keeping the intimacy and human connection with friends and family intact, even if they are thousands of kilometers apart. And if you have a blog or online store, voice can help tools can help take your content to the next level.

Heyoya brings voice to your website

Choose voice and add Heyoya to your site to create a more engaging user experience. We already know that voice is popular in China, that it is time saving, efficient and personal. If you have an existing blog or website then you probably know how important comments are. Enabling user comments through comment platforms helps retain users and improves your search ranking. In fact, user-generated content is one of the best ways to market and grow your business. The thing is, the majority of comments still use text. Luckily, with Heyoya you can now recreate the personal interactions of voice messages and WeChat style conversations on your own blog or website. Heyoya is a unique voice comments and reviews platform that brings sound to online interactions, making comments and reviews more trustworthy, engaging and fun. Adding audio to online communications brings together the fast-paced world of social media with the unique feeling of being face-to-face. And best of all, Heyoya can help you create results in China by significantly improving user-generated content, and increasing web traffic, sales conversions and brand affinity.

So how does it work?

It’s actually pretty simple: when surfing the web, users can respond to your articles, events and more by recording a voice comment or review through the Heyoya widget. You can also use Heyoya to upload your own voice content to your website. This is a great way to leave messages for your users, talk to them and hear what they have to say! Ultimately, by using the Heyoya widget, you can better leverage your comments sections to increase user engagement and create higher quality content, keeping users on your site for longer.

Heyoya is a game-changing comments and reviews platform that brings voice to e-publishers and e-stores, improving sales and user engagement by allowing readers to express themselves beyond the medium of text. Heyoya’s new Receiver plan allows for quick and easy below-the-fold monetization. Heyoya is a game changer for websites and is proven to increase brand affinity and the quality of user-generated content.

For more information about Heyoya, or to start using Heyoya’s Receiver plan and start earning money today, click here.

In order to stay relevant today, online stores must be extremely creative in their design, content and even their customer service. It’s important to stay alerted in this business since the trends of today may be old news by tomorrow. From the millions of online stores that are available we cherry-picked a few that stand out from their competition with their unique approach.

The user experience is becoming more and more exciting. Some online stores have blogs that are constantly updated, while others showcase pictures that become gifs once you scroll over them. Others do contests and use giveaways to attract attention and get more exposure. And that’s what really gets us as customers; freebies! Some websites offer discounts if you subscribe, such as Rest that offers a $10 discount coupon, a good deal if you intend on buying their products. A creative freebie is what we see on the Hello! Lucky website. This store sells notes, and also offers the customers DIY project ideas and free printables as an incentive for the readers.

Transparency for you, more sales for me

We know one of the biggest reasons for cart abandonment is a lack of transparency but there are a few online stores that got it right. Meet Molly & Me Pecans, a site offering a smooth navigation until the very end. Instead of being surprised at checkout, the site has a shipping calculator so that customers can see the exact shipping fee that their order will cost. Made, an online furniture store makes sure to give its customers transparency by offering as much information as possible including all product details, videos and lots of pictures, including customer pictures, for a more trustworthy experience.

Reviews in Retail

Reviews are important for every product we want to buy and today over 77% of people only buy once they have read at least one review. Nordstrom is staying one step ahead of competition thanks to their “fit reviews”. Unlike most retail sites, they offer the option of seeing reviews from previous buyers about how well the items fit them. They also have a feature that allows the customers to find their “true fit”, which is extremely useful while shopping online and honestly, not enough retail websites have this option. Nasty Gal is another example for a great solution to a different problem. Sometimes shoppers don’t want to look through older items that they’ve already seen. So as not to “waste” their time, this website offers the “what’s new” tab to let buyers skip straight to the good stuff. They also have a live chat button that can answer questions but more importantly, can give fashion advice, which often makes all the difference between a sale and an abandoned cart.

We want proof

Sometimes even when a customer is interested, they want extra incentive to convince that the item they’re interested in is, in fact, worth buying. Bellroy did this perfectly. Bellroy sells slim wallets, as a solution for the usually bulky wallets we carry around. The website features a scale which users can play around with to “fill up” the wallets so they can visually see the difference between a regular wallet and a slim one. They also simplify the process by helping the buyer start with one simple decision: do you want a wallet in which you can fold your bills or leave them flat?

Keep it fresh with blogs

With trends changing constantly it’s hard to keep track and it seems that any time that we finally get the hang of things, the rules change and we’re left wondering what we should be doing differently. Well, there’s one thing that has been done correctly from the start: blogging. Search engines love new, unique content. The more the merrier in this case. So, when you think about it, how often does the information on your website really change? Probably not very often at all. That’s why it’s so important to keep a steady blog filled with new information at least every week (if not a few times a week). This way when customers are looking for companies like yours, the search will help bring up the freshest and most relevant content. Blogs are for everyone and can be created for any field. For example, Harry’s, who sell shaving goods, know the importance of a blog and keep theirs updated constantly. They also allow members to customize their order and choose how often they should get their products shipped to them. Oyster, an online book store, uses blogs as well as a lot of customer reviews to ensure they stay high in search rankings. Free People has one of the best blogs to date, writing about diverse topics and uploading 3-4 new posts a day, providing unique and fresh content to their users and for search engine optimization. Make sure to keep your site fresh, creative and trustworthy to keep your customers coming.

Heyoya is a game-changing comments and reviews platform that brings voice to e-publishers and e-stores, improving sales and user engagement by allowing readers to express themselves beyond the medium of text. Heyoya’s new Receiver plan allows for quick and easy below-the-fold monetization. Heyoya is a game changer for websites and is proven to increase brand affinity and the quality of user-generated content.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is more important than ever and it is a crucial tool to leverage in order to help a business succeed. While there are many different marketing channels a company can choose, and multiple digital channels, SEO in many ways remains the foundation of a solid online presence. SEO has changed over the past few years but it isn’t going away anytime soon, so we’ve collected a few tips to make sure you make the best of it in 2017.

It’s time you invest more time on the content of your website. Research shows that relevant content is the most effective SEO tactic but it is also the most difficult to execute. Content that is interesting, engaging or fun to read is not longer enough, your content needs to be relevant and above all else, it must create value for your customers. If users find your content relevant and gain value from it, they’ll want to share it, and when they do your content will be seen on additional platforms, helping to drive more traffic to your website.

People like to share stories and information they like and trust, they share to get a word out about a cause or brand they care about, and they share in order to add value. 49% of consumers say that sharing allows them to inform others about products they care about and can encourage action or changing an opinion. Web content needs to be unique enough to make people want to share and talk about it. There are many ways to do this including creating a more personal tone and experience both through the type of stories shared and through the channels you choose to use (just think about how video and audio can help bring a more personal and trustworthy feel to your website compared to text alone).

We see. We click. We comment.

The main goal for any business is to attract users. According to Forrester, 93% of online experiences start with a search. The majority of search engine users are more likely to click one of the top 5 suggestions in the results page. This makes it all the more important to have effective SEO to optimize your website ranking and attract more customers.

Another way to raise your ranking by having the users leave comments. The more high-quality comments you have the more you will improve the ranking of your content. Leaving comments involves time and effort so it’s very important to make sure your comment platform has a seamless UX. A great alternative for comments is to try voice comments, this helps save users time and even go hands-free, while still being able to share their opinion. Using voice reviews can allow for a new kind of interaction as well as motivating the user to share what they think about products with their friends, once again spreading the word about the website and bringing attention to it. This is a win-win situation for the user and the website.

Heyoya is a game-changing comments and reviews platform that brings voice to e-publishers and e-stores, improving sales and user engagement by allowing readers to express themselves beyond the medium of text. Heyoya’s new Receiver plan allows for quick and easy below-the-fold monetization. Heyoya is a game changer for websites and is proven to increase brand affinity and the quality of user-generated content.

The biggest friction point (58% of consumers agree) is when you think you’re buying a product for a certain price but when you reach the checkout point, the shipping and VAT kick in and suddenly your purchase is much more expensive than what you intended. This relates to the issue of trust. More money equals more anxiety and anxiety equals mistrust, friction and cart abandonment. So, how do we fix this? Simple. Write the total amount from the start or as early in the process as possible! Consumers prefer honesty than to think they’ve been tricked into choosing a specific product.

Security is key

Anxiety, which leads to friction points, can be caused by several reasons; the shoppers don’t have a sense of security, they may not be receiving enough information or perhaps it’s just because the UX isn’t smooth enough and makes them feel edgy. Let’s take a moment to talk about security. For example, consumers will feel more secure if the payment is done through a company they know and trust such as Paypal (and while you’re at it, add a few more options), as opposed to writing in their card details and hoping the site is secure. Focusing on communicating how secure your checkout is, is crucial. Besides using Paypal, another way to instill trust is to add a Google certified shop badge. This way an e-commerce merchant endorsement that shows that Google “identifies and stands behind stores that provide a consistently great shopping experience” and we all (well most of us) trust Google.

It’s all about timing

Here’s another little tip, at the checkout point, add a phone number to contact. You’ll be surprised how many buyers, especially new ones, have questions at checkout and if you’ll be available you just might be sidestepping another friction point and saving a lot of potential cart abandonments. Though having a live person available would be the optimal situation, it’s not always possible. Thankfully, a trend that will be growing strong this year are the chatbots, and when placed strategically at checkout they can offer the consumers the answers they need, reassuring the customer that he or she can trust the process.

Reviews everywhere

Another way to ensure trust is reviews. Sometimes on websites, users may be skeptical as to whether the reviews are real as are the users writing them. If all reviews are superb it also may cause mistrust as opposed to if there is a healthy mix of reviews with mostly satisfied customers while still having a few that were less so. Using voice in reviews can make them much more trustworthy since the consumer gets a real sense of the buyer’s opinions. Credibility is key and that’s why a lot of companies display the reviews in a central location on the home page as well as the specific product page. Another tip is to have the reviews in the checkout section as well. This way there is direct context and positive reviews to give them the boost to checkout. If you’re missing any of the above on your website, you’ve got some work to do.

Heyoya is a game-changing comments and reviews platform that brings voice to e-publishers and e-stores, improving sales and user engagement by allowing readers to express themselves beyond the medium of text. Heyoya’s new Receiver plan allows for quick and easy below-the-fold monetization. Heyoya is a game changer for websites and is proven to increase brand affinity and the quality of user-generated content.

For more information about Heyoya, or to start using Heyoya’s Receiver plan and start earning money today, click here.